A Court of Future and Hope
by mysecretescape
Summary: Do not read if you have not read A Court of Wings and Ruin, there are some spoilers! It is a few years after the war against Hybern and Feyre has something important to tell Rhys and her family:) Please leave reviews!
1. The Joy

I slid my tattooed hand, the one that symbolized the bargain I made with Rhys after the war against Hybern, over the barely noticeable bump starting to grow on my stomach. I smiled to myself as I watched Rhys get dressed after the long night we had. He never failed to please me, make me laugh or glow with happiness, but most importantly he always gives me room to choose. Suddenly, Rhys looked at me and gave me a wicked smile that plunged my body into need for him, to feel him; however, in his eyes there was a flicker of darkness, of what might have come to pass after Hybern.

"Rhys," I murmured, "come here," patting the empty space next to me in the luxurious messy bed, as he slowly started to walk over. It had been a few years since the war yet he still bore the burden of what might have come to pass without Drakon's army, as well as the human armada. It still haunts him, the number of lives lost, lives he was unable to save, still woke him up in the dead of night. I learned in close to him once he was fully situation and whispered, "it's not your fault. You gave everything you could. Hell, you even died for them, many would not have done the same."

He mumbled I love you and placed a soft kiss on my lips as he said, "I know it is not my fault, but I still cannot help but feel that I could have prevented a lot deaths, I keep looking backing wondering how I missed so much of what Hybern was planning. It happened, it is in the past. However, sometimes the present seems like a façade, that I will wake up from this dream and be back Under the Mountain or that Hybern murdered you, killed the Court of Dreams - that is when I do not want to look forward with hope, only back."

A small sob escaped my throat as I blurted, "You died and came back to life. Sometimes this doesn't seem real either; however, when I touch you I know you are alive, when we kiss, I can feel your love, and when you stand near me, your presence fills me with a joy beyond words. Rhys there is so much more good to look for in our future, not the pain in our past."

 _Besides spending the rest of eternity with you?_

 _Yes._

 _Please Feyre darling, indulge me in some of these joys?_

I smirked a bit as I showed him how the Bone Carver appeared to me and told him that we have a family in the future.

 _I know we have a son way in our future._

 _Well, maybe not as far out as we planned…_

"Feyre darling," Rhys gasped, "are you pregnant?"

"Yes," I breathed as Rhys' eyes widened with surprise, his eyes were full of joy as tears rimmed the edges. Suddenly, I was lifted of the bed and into his arms as he kissed my face and wept with joy. This, I thought, I could spend the rest of my days like this with Rhys and our future son.


	2. The Telling

_Rhys, I'm scared._

 _And what is there to be afraid of?_ He responded sincerely, although, the humor in his voice was not missed.

 _It's just that I do not know how she will react, remember what happened when she heard that Miryam and Drakon were expecting._

I shuddered at the memory. Miryam and Drakon had joined us for dinner a few years after the war had ended because they claimed they had some important information regarding the future of their city and people. When they sent the message, it was Mor who read the small parchment first with the gold writing. She brought it to dinner that night and asked us what we thought it meant, if it sounded like they were going have a child. Rhys, not wanting to meddle in their affairs just said we would find out in a couple days. Mor let out a small huff, glaring at Rhys, straightened her red dress and poured herself some more wine, mumbling that he was no fun in his old age.

Two days later we were gathered around a large oak table outside at a local restaurant with chairs made to accommodate wings. The warm weather combined with the delicious chicken and potato dinner and a long day of running my studio was starting to make me sleepy when Mor, fed up with waiting to hear this life altering news suddenly started to press Miryam and Drakon for information. Rhys, who realized I had started to zone out, lightly kicked my leg, jolting me upright.

"Look, even Feyre wants to know!" Mor said, taking advantage of my sudden upright posture.

Drakon glanced at Miryam, as if asking for approval to share their news. He tucked in his wings, sat up straighter, the swirls on his dark jacket now clearly visible, and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Well, now that war is long over and there is peace through the world, after centuries waiting for a war we knew was to come, we have decided that it was about time we started to consider the future of our people and city," Drakon said, as Mor stared at Miryam, her powers already telling her something Drakon had not said yet.

"Before this one bores you all to death, long story short, I am excepting a child!" Miryam injected, as Mor squealed so loud, some nearby fae covered their ears and hit the floor, thinking something horrible was happening. Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys stood up and walked over to Drakon, shaking his hand in congratulation and giving Miraym a brief embrace. I followed in suit, not as well acquainted yet, but made sure they knew my happiness for them. Mor; however, practically squeezed the life out of them in the hugs she gave and then demanded for more information such as the gender and a name.

 _If that was how she reacted for her friends, image how she will react when she discovers I'm pregnant. Her High Lady and Lord, close and personal friends, are going to have a child that she will get to spoil for eternity._

 _How about we all spend the weekend at the cabin, far away from civilization where no one will fear that we are under attack._

 _You know she is going to draw a mustache under your eyes since we decided to wait so long to tell her. I really hoped my art would remain un-vandalized for longer than ten years._

The last time we visited the cabin, I had painted Rhys' eyes next to everyone else's partly because I knew I would not stare longley at them and partly because he asked so politely while we were in bed. It was after that trip to the cabin I discovered I was with child. I waited a few extra weeks before telling Rhys after I realized my pregnancy since I knew fae births were much more rare and prone to miscarriages.

 _It's a good thing I am mated to a painter who loves me enough make sure that does not happen. Plus, I thought Nesta had already drawn a mustache under Cassian's eyes last time were all came up here as a family._

 _Prick._

"Have you told your sisters?" Rhys asked, as he winnowed over to my studio along the Sidra.

"No, I still have to figure how to tell them. How was the meeting with the Palace Lords?"

"Why don't you tell them at the same time?" Rhys responded before saying, "It went fine. They still refuse to serve any members from the Court of Nightmares who still bother to come over. Trade is strong and overall no one had any major complaints."

"Wonderful news," I said as Rhys started to walk over to me, his eyes gleaming with love as he glanced at my stomach. "It just doesn't seem right. They are my sisters, I feel like they should know before, but then Mor is like a sister to me and she is family."

"Well, you certainly are in a conundrum."

 _You are not helping._

* * *

 **One week later**

The grass crunched beneath my bare feet as I walked outside to get some fresh air. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky as my powers from the Day Court were strengthening. Breathe in, breath out, repeat, I whispered to myself. They will be here within the hour. You got this. It is only five people, five family members whom love and respect you.

A knock on the door jolted me from my breathing as I realized Rhys had winnowed them in early. The nerve of that prick.

 _It's your nerves I was thinking of. Where should we tell them?_

 _I am already outside, just meet me here?_

Mor, Elain, Nesta, Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys all walked outside heading in my direction. Mor's eyes started to narrow, her magic instantly trying to discover what truth I was hiding from them, as Elain and Nesta took in the slight difference to my appearance, but Azriel who truly surprised me.

"Feyre," Azriel gasped, "are you pregnant?" I slowly shook my head yes, as Rhys told them how far along I was, Mor squealed, ran over to me, and gave me a big hug. Although, when she noticed my sisters standing behind her, she quickly let go, but gave me a look that told me she would be back with questions and demanding details.

 _See, look how easy that was. Nothing to be scared about._

 _It is not over yet. She will be back, with questions._

Nest and Elain were overjoyed at the prospect of becoming aunts. As Elain embraced me, she whispered, "When are you going to tell Lucien?" I froze slightly as I thought of about what telling Lucien meant. When Lucien found out, I knew he would tell Tamlin. Tamlin. Did I want to tell Tamlin or not? We were on friendly terms, but the thought of sending that message, as if flaunting what I had. But the idea of me not telling him, seemed wrong. Later. I would figure out what to do later.

Cassian told me he looked forward to being Uncle Cassian, promising to personally train my child, free of charge. Azriel, offered his congratulations and apologies for ruining my chance to tell everyone.

"Honestly, Az, I am relieved you said it. I was a bit scared on how to say it," I whispered so only he could hear.

Later that night, after all the congratulations and celebrations had ended, Rhys picked me up in his arms, carried me into our bedroom, and told me how much hope and joy I brought into his life.

"I had never allowed myself to hope for any sort of future like this. Never allowed myself to dream of a mate who loved me, to have a child of my own as a possibility, or just be truly happy in life. And after Amarantha, I expected you to hate me for eternity after what I did to you. And during the war with Hybern, and well before too, I did not expect to live in a world where I could imagen raising my child without the fear of knowing people wanted to assassinate them simply because they were mine. It is because of you, that I get to live in this magical world where my mate loves me and the fear of my child being murdered is minimal."

Fighting off the tears, unable to speak, I showed Rhys, both mentally and physically, how much love and happiness he brought into my life each and every day.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

I had just sat down at the table, when Mor glided into the room, took my food away, and said, "Details first, food later. I want to know everything, well not everything." Sighing, I launched into the story starting with when I first realized I was pregnant.


	3. The Naming

Even though I was pregnant, Cassian still pushed me hard in training. Although, we did train less with swords, it was made up for by strength training, offensive and defense fighting, learning how to throw daggers, and maintaining my skills with a bow and arrow.

Today, however, Cassian hand me throwing punches. Left. Right. Left. Right. Repeat. At the end of the exercise, I was sweating, so much so that Cassian handed me a towel and glass of water and told me to take a five-minute break. After quenching his own thirst, he sauntered over next to me and started conversing with me. Surprisingly, about my unborn child.

"Have you and my brother decided on a name yet?" He asked.

"No, although, we do have a few in mind, but nothing official."

"A boy, right? Cassian asked. I looked out the window, trying to see that long-ago battlefield where the Bone Carver gave up his life. He showed me my child, before I even realized who it was. My first born. "Yes, if the Bone Craver was correct, my first born will be a son."

Clearing his throat, Cassian asked, "Will you train him with the Illyrians?"

The thought of sending my child into that backwards society horrified me, but Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel all trained there, it was, is, a part of them, as it will be for my child. I knew Rhys would want his son to train with them, but living amongst the Illyrians, their treatment of those they considered less, I was not sure if I would be able to live there for long, even with Rhys beside me. However, Rhys and Cassian had done a lot of modernizing in the camps in the past ten years. Women were now allowed to train with very little resistance in most of the camps; although, they still were not allowed to rise above a commander status. The future is not set in stone, who knows what can happen in the next ten years.

Looking up at Cassian, I allowed him to see the fear I had about sending my child there, but also the knowledge that I would most likely send them to train so they could learn to defend themselves and learn about the people they descend from. Taking a deep breath I said, "Yes, when the child is old enough, we will send them to train with the Illyrians."

* * *

Later in the evening while I was sipping my favorite herbal tea and reading a new book, Elain slowly approached me and took a seat in the large blue armchair across from me.

"Feyre," She slowly said, "Have you and Rhys decided on a name?"

"No, we have thought of a few, but nothing we love," I responsed, as Azriel walked through the front doors.

"Oh, I thought you had a name for her already." Elain said with a look of confusion in her eyes. "Have you decided on whether your child will take our family name or Rhys'?"

"Elain, I believe I am having a boy, that is what the Bone Carver implied... And for the surname, we have not decided. Given everything that happened I am not sure if I want my child to have our family name." Even though our father saved us from slaughter, I still remembered those years of hunting and starvation, the absence of family love during my formative years. The mark it left.

"Azriel," Elain suddenly asked, "what is your surname?" Azriel, who had removed his outer clothes, stood facing us, confused shock in his eyes as he said, "I do not have a surname."

"Why?" Elain questioned, and I wondered the same thing. Cassian and Azriel had never mentioned their surname and I assumed, like Lucien, they preferred not to use it. The thought of them not having a last name never crossed my mind.

Recovering from the surprise of the question Azriel responded, "Bastards are not given surnames. The Illyrians believe that if a bastard takes his father's family name then they might assume that they are welcomed into society and are part of a family. By not giving bastards a surname, it enforces the idea that society does not want or welcome us. That we are nothing more than a disposable common foot soldier. It helps prevent us from having a family of our own because who wants to marry someone with no connections and give birth to a son with no name. Thus, Cassian and I, and all the other Illyrians bastards have no surname."

As Azriel concluded his speech, I noticed how he watched Elain's weary eyes, watching for any sign of pity. Elain, observant as ever, merely said, "It's a miracle that there are any Illyrian family names left given that they only fight and fuck." Azriel smiled at Elain, looked to me and stated, "I have not heard Rhys use his family name since he became High Lord. If you do not want to use yours, perhaps the two of you could simply choose a new family name."

* * *

That night, as I was soaking in my bath, Rhys winnowed into our room, mumbling something about how awful the Court of Nightmares is and their presumptuous demands. Although, once Rhys glanced at me, he instantly stopped talked and asked me what was bothering me.

I lowered myself further into the bath I said, "Earlier today, Elain mentioned our child, and she said that the baby was a female; however, the Bone Carver claimed and showed me a male. Both have been reliable for information, one being a seer and the other a death god, and they said different genders. I was just thinking about it. About female names," I said, whispering the last sentence since it never crossed my mind until a few hours ago.

"Did you have something in mind for a name?" Rhys asked walking closer to the tub, he wings flaring slightly at his curiosity.

"Yes," I stated, "I have two names in mind."

 _Do share_

 _I was thinking perhaps if it was female, we might name her Claire or name her after your sister._

Rhys' eyes gleamed with happiness as he choked, "That is perfect," before becoming serious and saying, "Feyre darling, do you think it is possible that both the Bone Carver and Elain are correct?"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

Rhys gave me an exasperated look before saying, "Well, both the Bone Carver and Elain knew or know the future, perhaps they are both correct. It is extremely rare, occurs maybe once every five to seven centuries, but it is possible for the fae to give birth to twins. Perhaps, you have one male and one female child inside you. Do you think this is possible?"

"Can you find the minds?" I asked, my voiced laced with pride and fear.


End file.
